Rotary explosive-engine.



ROTARY EXPLOSIVB ENGINE.

, APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 27, 1902. No MODEL. 3 SEHEN-SHEET n.

F16-rs.

N0 MODEL.

' R. GUMMING.

ROTARY EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 27, 1902.

I s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 nl Y PATENTBD JULY 28, 190,3.V

. NQ. 734,827. I PATENTBD JULY z8, i903..

R. GUMMING.

ROTARY EXPLUSIVB ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. Z7, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-B-HEET 3- me Nonms 51ans cc mmauwo., WASHINGTON. D. c

ivo. 734,82?.

yUNITED STATES Al'atented .uly 28, 1903.

PATENT EEICE..

ROTARY ExPLoslvE-ENGINE.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,827, dated J' uly 28, 1903.

l Application iled August 2'7, 1 902.` Serial No. 121,165. `(No model.)

p. To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT CUMMING,a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland,

j and a resident of 99 Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh, in the county of Edinburgh,'Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Explosive Engines,

. (for which I have made application for a pati ent in Great Britain, No. 11,628, bearing date May 22, 1902,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the construction of a rotary engine in which the propulsive force is derived from the eects ofthe explosions of substances, the force of the explosions being directed against blades carried by arotatable body which are angularly ari ranged in the directions f explosion.

\ u The object of this invention is to construct a rotary explosive-engine consisting of a stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, means for closing the chambers, andapparatus for delivering vcharges of an explosive substance thereto, a rotatable body having one or more series of blades which are adapted to travel across the open ends of the` chambers, the blades being angularly arranged, so that the force of explosions of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfacesof. the blades and tend to impart rotary motion to the body, with means for igniting the charges simultaneously to the passage of the blades across the open ends of the chambers.

An example of the construction of a rotary engine in which an explosive mixture of gas and air is to be employed as the explosive KSO substance will now be describedas illustra- `tive of means for carrying this invention into eect.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a part-sectional elevation of a rotary explosive-engine constructed according to this invention, the section being taken about thelines XY otFigs. 2, 3, and 4. Fig. nis a plan view showing l some vofthe parts in section. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the face-of a stationaryframe in which the chambers are formed; and Fig. 4 'is a face view of a rotatable body, which in` this case is a disk. Y

`In the drawings, A indicates a stationary frame, the face of which isflat.

B B' are chambers formed in the frame and below the surface of its face. Each chamber is ittedwith an ignition-plug C and is formed with an inlet-aperture D, normally closed by a check-valve D. fitted over the inlet-apertures of the chambers and are provided with supply-Ways F, fitted with check-valves F. The chargingcylinders are fitted with reciprocating pistons I-I.

Upon a shaft J a rotatabledisk K issecurely mounted, the disk being formed with a fiat face and is mounted so that the face of the disk K and the face of the frame A shall" work close to one another. Through the body of the disk K two angularly-directed apertures are cut, arranged diametrically opposite to one another. Series of blades L L are fitted in the apertures, angularly arranged. (Best indicated in the part-sectional elevation at Fig. l.) When the disk is rotated, the series of bla-des travels in a path coincident with the open ends ot' the explosion chambers. The two series of blades are separated by sectors K' K2 of the flat face of the disk K.

When the turbine is in operation, the cycle of actions is as follows: Considering the disk K as rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow and the open ends of the chambers Charging-cylinders E are B and B as being covered by the sectors K i K2,respective1y, charges of gas are delivered to these chambers, which are now closed, from their respective charging-cylinders E through the action of their pistons H, the operation `of charging being completed and the checkvalves D closed before the series of blades L L commence to pass across the faces of the chambers B and B'. As the disk K rotates the series of bladesL L will pass over the charged chambers B B', and at the commencement of their passage across the open ends of the chambers the charges are ignited by sparks from the ignition-plugsC, explosions of the two charges taking place and simultaneously acting upon the surfaces of the angularly-arranged series of blades L L,

ICO

being ignited, so that as the series of blades L L' pass over the lchambers a continued succession of explosions will act upon the blades throughout its path of rotation.

It will be understood that the operation of the pistons and sparking mechanism must be in unison with the rotation of the disk K. Consequently the operation of these parts may conveniently be eected through gearing workeddirect from the shaft J. Forexample, an auxiliary shaft M may be geared by skew-gearing N to the shaft J to run at twice the speed of the latter and the pistons H reciprocated through thetmedium of eccentrics P, connected to the pistons H by means of straps P', slippers R, rocking arms S, and connecting-rods T. The slippers R are adjustable by means of screw-shafts R', whereby the length of'travel imparted to the pistons H may be regulated and the 4force of the explosions controlled by varying the quantity ol' gas to be delivered as charges to the explosion-chambers- The sparking may be effected by employing a battery U, one terminalofwhichisconnected toadelivery-brush U', the other terminal being connected to the stationaryframeA. AcommutatorVisfitted upon the auxiliary shaft M and receives its supply of electricity from the brush U', delivering its charges through a conductingstrip V' on the periphery of the commutator to a brushW, (adjustably mounted, if required, so as to alter the period of sparking relatively to the passage of the series of blades across the open ends of the explosion-chambers,) connected to the ignition-plugs C.

' stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, a rotatable disk having a iiat face, a portion of which, as the disk rotates, passes over and closes the open ends of the chambers, an aperture through the body of the disk, the face-opening of which is adapted to travel across the open ends of the chambers, blades fitted within the aperture, angularly arranged so that the force of explosions of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfaces of the blades and tend to impart rotary motion to the body, apparatus for delivering charges of an explosive substance to the chambers, and means for exploding the charges simultaneously with the passage of the blades across the open ends of the cham'- bers.

2. Arotaryexplosive-engine,consistingofa stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, a rotatable disk having a flat face, portions of which, as the disk rosions of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfaces of the blades and tend to impart rotary motion to the body, apparatus for delivering charges of an explosive substance to the chambers, and means for exploding the charges simultaneously with the passage of the blades across the open ends of the chambers.

3. Arotaryexplosive-engine,consistingofa stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, in combination with, a rota table disk having a fiat face, a portion 0i"Y which, as the disk rotates, passes over and closes theopen ends of the chambers, an aperture through the body of the disk, the faceopening of which is adapted to travel across the open ends of the chambers, blades fitted within the aperture, angularly arranged so that the force of the explosions of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfaces of the blades and tend to impart rotary 'motion to the body, together with charging-cylinders fitted over inlet-apertures to each chamber, provided with reciprocating pistons and check valves, acting substantially as described, for delivering charges of an explosive uid to the chambers, and means for exploding the charges simultaneously With the passage of the blades across the open ends of the chambers.

4. A rotary ex plosive-engine,consisting of a stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, in combination with, a rota-` table disk having a flat face, portions of which, as the disk rotates, pass over and close the open ends of the chambers, apertures through the body of theA disk, the face-openings oi which are adapted to travel across the open ends of the chambers, blades fitted Within the apertures, angularly arranged so that the force of the explosions of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfaces of the blades and tend to impart rotary motion to the body, together with charging-cylinders fitted over inlet-apertures to each chamber, provided with reciprocating pistons and check-valves, acting substantially as described, for delivering charges of an explosive iuid to the chambers, and means for exploding the charges simultaneously With the passage of the blades across the open ends of the chambers.

5. Arotary explosive-engine,consistingofa stationary frame in which open-ended cham-l bers are formed, in combination with a rotatable disk having a flat face, a portion of which, as the disk rotates, passes over and closes the open ends of the chambers, an aperture through the body of the disk, the faceopening of which is adapted to travel across the open ends of the chambers, blades fitted IOO IIO

within the aperture, angularly arranged so that the force of the explosion of charges in the chambers may act upon the surfaces of j the blades and tend to impart rotary motion to the body, together with charging-cylinders fitted `over inlet-apertures to each chamber,

`provided rWith reciprocating pistons and check-valves, acting substantially as described, for delivering charges of an explosiveuid to the chambers, together with ignition-plugs iitte'd to the chambers and electrical connections and means for actuating the same, for exploding the charges simultaneously with the passage of the blad es across the open ends of the chambers.

6. A rotary explosive-engine consisting of a stationary frame in which open-ended chambers are formed, in combination with a rotatable disk having a lat face, portions of which, as the disk rotates, pass over and cover the open ends of the chambers, apertures through the body of the disk, the face-openings of which are adapted to travel across the vnition-plugs fitted to the chambers and electrical connections and means for actuating the same, for exploding the charges simultaneously with the passage of the blades across the open ends of the chambers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT CUMMING. Witnesses:

WILL. SMART, J. ALFRED BREWER. 

